By philipedwards, Jan 14 2018 08:34PM

14 January, 2018

Dry January was initiated in 2013 by the charity Alcohol Concern as a campaign which challenges participants to abstain from alcohol for the 31 days of January. The aim of Dry January was to change public attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol consumption, to raise awareness of alcohol related problems and educate people about the health benefits of abstaining. The Alcohol Concern website claims that 49% of people who participated last year lost weight and 67% had improved sleep. Since its inception, registration to the Dry January app has increased 15-fold. It has also been suggested, that in addition to the official figures, around 1 million people undertake a form of unofficial Dry January.

The increasing number of Dry January participants indicates a growing awareness of the health benefits that reducing alcohol intake brings. The latest advice from the Chief Medical Officer specifies that no amount of alcohol is safe to drink and therefore any attempt to cut-back should be commended. However, a common criticism of the campaign is that 31 days sober does not always lead to changing consumption behaviours all year round and can even be ruined by a celebratory February binge. The growing awareness of the harms of alcohol highlight that the time may be right for a revolutionary alternative.

At Alcarelle, we are looking to develop ‘free-from’ alcohol alternatives which would allow people to have the benefits of Dry January all year round. It would aim to mimic some aspects of alcohol but without the associated health issues like cancer, liver disease and hangovers.

The growth in participation in the Dry January campaign has partially been attributed to ‘social contagion’. If people around you start to reduce their alcohol intake, you are more likely to do the same. Therefore, this campaign has illustrated the power of changing social attitudes towards alcohol consumption. These changing attitudes create a perfect environment to introduce a new ‘free-from’ beverage based on cutting edge scientific technologies, in order to permanently banish Christmas guilt and minimise the need for the new year detox.

Alcohol is ingrained in our culture and socialising and letting our hair down is vital to our wellbeing. A ‘free-from’ alternative beverage would allow consumers to make healthier choices all year round. So, let’s ditch the lime and soda, try something new and make a new year’s resolution we can get excited about.